SHOULD I BREED MY DOG? pt.2 (Breeder Responsibility)

"Should I breed my dog?" Last week I wrote about breeding from the perspective of a Rescuer. If you're still considering breeding your Pet, you need to be aware of what your responsibilities should be.

Unless you are showing, unless your dog is a champion, unless... No matter how lovely you believe your dog to be, the question should be what are you contributing to the betterment of the breed? The reasons Ch. are bred is because they are thought be the best of the best. This ensures a healthy line, a good and strong representation of the breed.

There are risks to breeding. You must test for Brucillosis, (Doggie Venereal disease). Hips and elbows must be OFA'd, eyes tested. There is so much to know, so much to research. Do you know your dog’s pedigree at least 5 generations back?? Is there cancer in the lines, dysplasia, Entropion disorders. There is a whole catalog of genetic disorders that can be passed along---things that can cause terrible suffering to the resulting offspring, and the family that purchases those pups. Then there is registration. Pet store dogs also are registered, but these animals often come from Puppy Mills. The registration is worthless, or easily forged.

There is an excellent website called Virtual Breeding by Jane M Johnson. This site has been designed for those who want to learn more about breeding, and is based on real life occurrences. Jane has helped others whelp more litters than she has had herself, and she has seen many a disaster. Virtual Breeding: http://www.bluegrace.com/virtualbreeding... Would you be prepared for an emergency “C” section, or to nurse and care for puppies if your beloved pet should die during whelping?

Finally, there are responsibilities a Breeder should consider. The sad truth is NO breeder, NOT A SINGLE ONE, can know with certainty that their "get" have not gone through rescue. And, unless they early spay/neuter, or actually have a vet’s documentation of neuter in hand, a breeder can not be completely sure that they have not themselves contributed to the rescue problem.

What responsible breeders really NEED to do is limit their breeding dramatically. They need to insure that every "pet" puppy is early spay/neutered, (helping to keep puppies out of the hand of BYB and puppy-mills). Every litter needs to be micro-chipped, so if the animal ever does come into rescue it can be returned to them. Breeders need to spend the time to thoroughly evaluate the homes to which they sell their pups, in educating prospective pet owners to the needs and requirements of their breeds---so less animals will end up in shelters. Breeders NEED to be responsible for the animals that they have put on this earth for the life of the animal. They need to keep in contact with the purchaser. Demand and receive updates on the animal’s progress. Their contract’s need to state that if these conditions are not met, that if the animal is not well cared for, that they have the right to take the animal back. And these contracts need to be enforced.

Go To Page: 1 2

Articles in this Topic    Discussions in this Topic